The Twilight of Light
by R.A. Pointless
Summary: The darkness lusts after the Keyblade Master. He is the means to conquoer the world and throw it all into chaos and ruin. After Sora discovers a secret love between Riku and Kairi, the darkness may finally have its chance at him...
1. Prologue

-1**Disclaimer: Any copyrighted material that appears in this story is the sole property of the Copyright Holder and such as I don't own it or pretend to own it.**

Prologue

It started off normal, the day anyway. Sora got up as he usually did and brushed his teeth. He ate breakfast like he normally did and then watched TV like he normally did. Getting used to this routine was the unusual thing. Sora had only just returned to Destiny Islands a few months ago and had to get used to not having to fight Heartless anymore.

But today was different. Today was the day in which Sora Hikari, Keyblade Master and Savior of Kingdom Hearts, would die. He would lose himself and be consumed by his hatred. But the step towards darkness starts off slowly and mostly unnoticeable at first.

Sora headed down towards the beach, Keyblade in hand, prepare to practice a few of his more powerful techniques just because he had nothing better to do. He headed down to the beach, with its white sand and crystal blue water, and stared out over the ocean. The sun hit the water exactly right, causing the water to glow and sparkle with a radiance that reminded him of Kairi.

Kairi. How much he loved her. How he yearned to go to her and express it all, tell her of his love and devotion to her. He thought to himself how much he wanted Kairi to love him back and quickly decided that he would go to see her later in the afternoon and tell her everything.

Sora stood on the beach and began to charge up his magic. He held the Keyblade up to the sky and shouted, "Thundaga!"

The heavens disappeared behind stormy clouds and thunderbolts rained down from the sky, striking the seven targets Sora had set up.

"Not bad Sora," said a cool, calm voice.

"Don't sneak up on me like that Riku," Sora said turning to face his best friend. "You know how jumpy I am after fighting all those Heartless."

Riku laughed and walked over, giving Sora a high five when he got close enough.

"Hey, are you going to Kairi's house? She invited us over to her house tonight to watch movies," Riku explained.

"I guess…" Sora said not wanting Riku to be there when he told Kairi everything he though about her.

"Good," Riku said. "Well I gotta go. Kairi wanted me to rent a few movies."

Sora nodded and Riku ran off, probably towards Blockbuster.

"There's in love you know," said a deep voice.

Sora's blood ran cold. This voice: he remembered it. It was of the scariest foe he'd ever faced. A foe more powerful than Cloud, Leon or King Mickey. One that he'd only managed to defeat by pure luck and chance. The most evil man in the universe:

"Sephiroth," Sora said turning and readying the Keyblade.

"Calm down Sora," Sephiroth said. "I'm not here to fight you."

"Then what do you want?" Sora asked. "If you're not here to fight, then you're up to something."

Sephiroth smirked and said, "As suspicious as ever. I'm only here to tell you something your 'friends' won't."

"And what's that?" Sora asked.

"That they've been secretly dating ever since you returned to the island," Sephiroth said. "That they've been hiding their relationship from you in order to avoid your anger."

"Liar! You're only trying to turn me against my friends!" Sora shouted angrily. "My friends would tell me anything, even if they were in love with each other. They would tell me even if I did get mad!"

"Really? Then how come Riku was the first to know that Kairi was inviting both of you?" Sephiroth asked.

"I don't know! Maybe she told Riku to tell me and he forgot until today," Sora answered.

"Really? So trusting of your friends are we Sora?" Sephiroth said. "I'm not here to lie and argue with you. I've told you the truth and it's only a matter of time until you find it out for yourself."

Sora charged forward and swung the Keyblade at Sephiroth's head with bone crushing strength. But Sephiroth simply summoned and portal of darkness and disappeared behind it, causing Sora to trip and hit the beach.

"Remember what I have told you Sora," Sephiroth's voice echoed throughout the beach.

**End of Chapter**

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	2. The Truth is Revealed!

-1**Disclaimer: Any copyrighted material that appears in this story is the sole property of the Copyright Holder and such as I don't own it or pretend to own it.**

Chapter 1: The Truth is revealed!

Sora watched the sun as it slowly began to slip beneath the horizon, taking the light with it. The ocean waves lapped at the shore and the gentle swishing sound served to calm Sora down a bit. What Sephiroth said, could it be true?

"It can't be," Sora thought. "They wouldn't hide it from me would they? And why?"

Sora just couldn't wrap his mind around the idea that not only were Riku and Kairi in love with each other but they were hiding it from him. Something like this should be shared amongst friends, even if one of the friends would get angry because of it. Sora knew that there was more to this than Sephiroth was telling him and he didn't like the fact that Sephiroth had said that he wasn't lying. Why would he outright tell him that he wasn't lying and not let Sora figure that out for himself? Could it be that he was telling the truth?

"He can't be telling the truth," Sora thought. "Sephiroth has no need to tell the truth. He's never told the truth before so why would he now?"

Sora grabbed his Keyblade and headed home, taking the long way so that he could think some more. Along the path he ran into Destiny High, the school that he'd be starting at in the fall. There was an area along the fence were a couple of benches were placed. At one of the benches Riku and Kairi were sitting down talking to each other. They hadn't noticed Sora yet, who ducked behind a tree and strained his ears to listen. But he wasn't close enough to hear anything.

Sora placed his hands together and thought, "Key Master Spell: Hide in the Shadows!"

His form disappeared and he became a shadow on the ground. The shadow was small and unnoticeable, unless you were looking for it. Using this technique he crept up to the table and hid underneath so that the shadow that was Sora was hidden in the shadow of the table.

"You invited him right?" Kairi asked.

Riku nodded and said, "He said he'd come. Why'd you invite him?"

"I- it just doesn't feel right to keep him in the dark like this," Kairi said. "We should've told him when he first came to the island."

"No, you know how Sora is," Riku said. "It would crush his heart and then…"

"You're right," Kairi said. "We can't risk that coming out of him."

Sora couldn't for the life of him fathom what they were talking about. What was that that would come out of him? Was he some kind of monster? But his fears were confirmed: Sephiroth had been telling the truth.

This was truly confirmed when Riku leaned over and pressed his lips onto Kairi's, and she kissed him back. He saw their tongues entering into each other's mouths and he couldn't watch any longer. So Kairi was lost to him?

After a few minutes they got up and left the table, heading off into town. Once he was sure they were gone, Sora canceled the spell ad sat on the bench. So Kairi was truly Riku's? He no longer had a chance and they were playing him for a fool?

"I tried to tell you," Sephiroth said appearing behind him. "They're in love with each other and will soon forget you."

"They'll never forget me," Sora said. "Even if they are in love."

"My boy can't you see they don't care? They hide their love from you. You're supposed to be their best friend and they do this to you? If it was you and Kairi would you lie to Riku?"

Sora thought for a second and then said, "No I wouldn't."

"Exactly! They don't care for you or your feelings," Sephiroth said. "Riku didn't even want you to come and watch movies with them."

"He…didn't?" Sora said.

"Didn't you hear him? He asked Kairi why she invited you!" Sephiroth said.

"He did!" Sora said angrily.

But he remembered how kind Riku and Kairi had been to him and knew that he couldn't and shouldn't do anything. If they were in love then fine, he would be happy for them.

Sora stood up without another word and began to walk off.

"Where are you going?" Sephiroth asked.

"To find my friends," Sora said.

"You don't have friends. They don't care about you," Sephiroth said.

Sora stopped and turned back to Sephiroth, "Well I care about them!"


	3. The Light Goes Out

-1**Disclaimer: Any copyrighted material that appears in this story is the sole property of the Copyright Holder and such as I don't own it or pretend to own it.**

Chapter 2: The Light Goes Out

His heart was pounding as he ran to Kairi's house; pounding so hard that he wanted to rip it out. His breath was hard and heavy and echoed throughout the night as he went. His legs screamed at him to stop running and take a break but his mind would not obey and forced his body to continue its unwanted trip to Kairi's.

Thoughts raced through his mind. Thoughts of depression: wanting to end it all because Kairi would never be his. Thoughts of hate: wanting to strangle Riku for taking away HIS Kairi.

Sora stopped and mentally slapped himself. Look at him! He was getting angry and jealous just because Kairi had to choose and she had picked Riku. His Kairi? Kairi was no more his property then she was Riku's. Kairi had just fallen in love, it just wasn't with him.

He stopped outside of Kairi's house and crept up to the window. He ducked low so that his head wouldn't be seen and peeked over the side.

Riku and Kairi were inside, cuddled in each other's embrace, watching TV. They seemed to be waiting for him. But then, Sora thought, they didn't want him there in the first place. They were probably hoping that he wouldn't show up.

"What am I saying? Riku and Kairi were always glad to see me," Sora said to himself.

He walked over to the door and was about to knock when he felt a chill run up his spine.

"Stop following me Sephiroth," Sora said.

He turned and found the One-Winged Angel standing behind him. His arms were crossed and he had a smirk on his face.

"Chill Sora," Sephiroth said. "I'm only here to offer you my services in getting your revenge."

"I told you! I don't want revenge!" Sora shouted. "I don't care about their love! I just wish they'd told me about it first."

"Don't they all," Sephiroth said. "At any rate, I just came here to give you something. Something that you can use to contact me should you ever need to."

"What?" Sora asked looking suspicious.

Sephiroth rushed over and stabbed his sword into Sora's back. Sora gasped and fell to the ground, his back bleeding profusely.

_Now you're mine kid_, Sephiroth though withdrawing his sword from Sora's back and disappearing.

Sora began to writhe in pain as though Sephiroth was digging his sword further and further into his back, passing all his organs and drilling into his heart. He clutched his chest as it exploded into flames. The blood around his body began to draw up into the air and back onto his back, forming into some kind of intricate shape. Within moments the pain subsided rapidly and Sora stood up. His blood had hardened and formed into a feathery wing. Blood red in color, it was as though the wing hadn't been made of blood but in fact of feathers.

"What did he do to me?" Sora wondered. "How do I use this to call him?"

Sora decided that he wouldn't worry about it because he would never need to. He wouldn't get revenge on Riku because he didn't need it.

Remembering what he had been doing, Sora ran to the door and was about to knock when he heard something. It was Kairi and she was shouting 'yes' over and over again. Sora looked in through the window and saw a sight that shocked him. Kairi and Riku were kissing, and Kairi was holding a diamond ring. Tears flowed from his eyes and down his cheeks.

That was it. Sora had lost everything precious to him. His life no longer had any meaning that he could see. By saying one word, one little bitty word, Kairi had essential killed him. She'd taken everything he'd done and thrown it in the trash, choosing what little Riku had done over all he'd given. After all the struggles and hardships he'd been through, there was nothing left for him.

Something began to rise up in Sora's heart. It was very subtle at first, but slowly it began to grow until it boiled to the surface: hate. His shocked expression turned into one of hatred and spite. His hands clenched into fists.

"Riku!" He spat.

His body began to be consumed with darkness. His eyes began to glow bright yellow, like those of a shadow Heartless. He got down on all fours as a dark aura began to surround his body. His fingernails turned into piercingly sharp claws and his teeth got sharp and pointy. He roared in fury and crashed through the window. He seized Riku and throws him onto the ground. Sora's claws gripped around Riku's throat until he was sure that he couldn't breathe.

"Sora!" Kairi shouted in surprise.

Riku wasted no time kicking Sora in the chest. But as the enraged Keyblade Master flew back he righted himself and launched at Riku with even more blind fury.

"He must've been look in the window! Kairi, run!" Riku shouted.

Riku summoned his Dark Keyblade and swung it into Sora's face. But the Keyblade Master was unaffected and rammed himself into Riku's stomach, causing Riku to lose his footing. Sora jumped into him again, slashing him over and over with his claws.

"Sora!" Riku said. "This isn't you! You aren't a monster! Fight it!"

But Sora wouldn't listen and his attacks became more and more beast like. He kicked and bites and scratched as though he was no longer human.

"Shit, this isn't good," Riku said. "He's unleashed that and he's going to destroy everything in his wake!"

"Sora!" Kairi shouted. "Please stop!"

Sora stopped and looked over at Kairi, who was crying. He crawled over to her, seemingly concerned, and looked her straight in the eye. He could feel her pain and knew that what he was doing is wrong.

"Don't stop Sora!" said a voice.

Everyone looked up and saw Sephiroth standing on the upstairs stair railing.

"She doesn't care about you! She's only trying to protect Riku!" Sephiroth said.

Anger returned to Sora's eyes. With lightning quick reflexes he knocked Kairi across the room and tore after Riku with the same blind fury and rage as before. Sephiroth just stood on the balcony, watching with amusement as Sora attacked his former friends as ferociously as he had tried to protect them.

"What did you do to him?" Kairi asked standing up slowly.

"I did nothing! I only told him the truth and pulled off the veil of lies you two had over him," Sephiroth said. "Sora is mine now and there's nothing you can do. He'll kill Riku and destroy everything on this island. The one person he won't hurt is you."

"Me?" Kairi asked.

"Can't you see it? Sora was in love with you! He worshipped everything you ever breathed on and yet you never saw it," Sephiroth laughed. "You know Kairi, I must thank you. After all, this is your entire fault!"

Kairi's eyes got wide, but she shook it off and turned her attention back to where Sora and Riku were fighting.

Sora was winning. Riku was unable to fight back as Sora pummeled him with blows like an unstoppable wrecking machine. The Dark Keyblade lay useless across the room.

"Riku!" Kairi said running towards his blade.

She stopped as Sora appeared in front of her, holding a bloody Riku in his hands. He tossed Riku aside and began to approach Kairi with bloodlust in his eyes.

"That's it Sora! Show her how much you love her now!" Sephiroth said.

Sora stopped and stood up on his hind legs. His claws receded and the dark aura vanished from his body. His eyes returned to normal and soon he looked the same as regular old Sora.

"You don't control me Sephiroth," Sora said. "I said it before; I don't need your help getting my revenge."

Sora stood up and looked Kairi straight in the eyes. He started to smile, but then fell over. Sephiroth had stabbed him in the back again.

"Hmm, I never imagined anyone had the strength to withstand one Devil's Wing," Sephiroth said. "But even you can't resist two!"

Sora began to scream as once again pain racked his body. A second Devil's Wing sprouted from his back.

"Now then Sora," Sephiroth said. "Show Kairi how much you love her."

Sephiroth was cut off as Riku came flying towards him and kicked him in the head. Sephiroth, who had been caught unaware, went flying into the wall.

"Impressive Riku," Sephiroth said standing up. "I didn't know you could use that technique."

"There's a lot you don't know," Riku said. "Now let Sora go."

Sephiroth chuckled. "Sora, please deal with the annoying one."

Sora's body once again became beast like. His eyes glowed again and the dark aura appeared. Only this time the aura wasn't surrounding his body but lashed out like fire. His claws were even sharper now and his eyes glowed a little duller.

Without any hesitation, Sora launched forward and Riku.

**End of Chapter**

**What do you think? Review and I'll begin work on the next chapter.**


	4. Darkness vs Darkness! Clash of Friends

-1**Disclaimer: Any copyrighted material that appears in this story is the sole property of the Copyright Holder and such as I don't own it or pretend to own it.**

Chapter 3: Darkness vs. Darkness! The Clash of Friends!

Dark Power clashed against Dark Power. Friend turned his blade against his friend. This wasn't a battle between light and darkness, because both were now using the power of darkness. The difference between them was that one was fighting for revenge and the other was fighting to protect his light.

There came a turning point in the battle when Riku managed to hit Dark-Sora on the head, causing the Heartless like boy to go flying through one of the windows. Riku jumped through the window after him only to find that Sora had disappeared.

"Where are you?" Riku said to himself.

There was a roaring sound as Dark-Sora came barreling towards Riku from the roof. He smashed head on into Riku and pinned him to the ground. Dark-Sora struck stabbed his claws into Riku's chest and began to dig deeper, reaching for Riku's heart. Riku cursed and kicked Sora in the chest, sending him sprawling into the house.

_He's becoming more aggressive…more Heartless like._

"You can't stop him Riku," Sephiroth said appearing on the roof in an awesome display of dark power. "Sora is too far sunk in his own fury. You can't bring him back from that."

"You're wrong! Sora's still in there somewhere," Riku said.

Riku turned back to Sora. "Sora! Wake up! This isn't you, you aren't a Heartless!"

Sora plowed into Riku with tremendous speed and pinned him to the ground. Riku looked up at Sora's face and was shocked. The aggressive display was undone and Sora's expression was one that was extremely distraught.

"Riku…help…me…"

"Sora! You're still there!" Riku said.

But Sora was gone once again, replaced by Dark-Sora's furry and hatred. He grabbed Riku and began to sprint along the ground, dragging Riku along the ground as he went. He ran up to a cliff and tossed Riku off, down towards the waves and sharp rocks below.

"No!" Kairi said running up to the cliff.

Sora watched Riku fall and hit the rocks. He watched Riku bounce off into the water and disappear beneath the crashing waves.

Kairi fell to her knees and began to cry. Sora watched her weep and began to laugh. His form began to revert until he was back to his human form, only the Devil's Wings still protruded from his back. Sephiroth walked over and stood next to Sora, watching the ocean as Sora did.

"Well done Sora," Sephiroth said. "Your revenge is complete."

Sora stopped laughing. "No it isn't. Riku isn't dead."

"How do you know this?" Sephiroth asked.

"Because," Sora said.

Seconds later Sora exploded in a cloud of dust. The dust kicked up and prevented Kairi from seeing anything.

"Kairi! Jump off the cliff!" Riku's voice said.

"Riku? Where are you?" Kairi asked looking around.

"Just jump!" Riku urged.

Kairi nodded and jumped off the cliff. She screamed as she went down, only to feel her wrist grabbed and herself being hoisted up. She soon found herself looking into the eyes of Riku.

"Riku!" Kairi said embracing him.

They kissed and Riku pulled her up and sat her down on something cold and hard. It was an airship or a Gummi Ship.

"Riku, what is this?" Kairi asked.

"Cid's Airship; the Highwind," Riku explained. "He and Leon came by and saw the fight."

Kairi and Riku stepped away from the open door, which promptly closed behind them. They crossed the room and went up to the steering room where Cid and Leon were waiting.

"You all right Kairi?" Cid asked turning to greet them.

Kairi nodded. "You guys came just in time."

"What was that thing? And what was Sephiroth doing here?" Leon asked.

Riku sat down. "It's a long story. You see, ever since I returned to Destiny Island Kairi and I have been dating. Tonight Sora was supposed to come over and watch movies with us. Before he showed up, I asked Kairi to marry me. Sora must have seen and he must've snapped."

"Sephiroth apparently has been here, telling Sora all about it and feeding his anger. He gave Sora this thing called a Devil's Wing to control him. It took two before Sora finally succumbed to Sephiroth's power. He became a Heartless like creature and nearly killed me."

"But how did you survive that fall?" Kairi asked.

"Easy. That wasn't really me or Sora. Sora had already fallen off the edge before you ran out to help. Using a little dark magic I created a clone of myself and Sora and signaled for Leon and Cid to move in," Riku said. "It was all a setup."

"And Sora?" Kairi asked.

Riku pointed to a flight of stairs that descended below into the airship's hull. Kairi descended the stairs and followed Riku down a long, dark hallway. At the end of the hallway was a blood red glow emitting from a room. They entered the room and found Sora locked in a cage with plasma beam bars. Turrets and other shooting weapons were aimed at the cage and cameras pointed at his from all angles.

Sora was still in his Heartless form but seemed to be more calmed down. He didn't do anything when Kairi approached, but began to growl and spit when Riku got near.

"Guess he's still a little sore," Riku said. "Leon did knock him out with that Gunblade."

"What are you guys going to do with him?" Kairi asked.

"We're taking him to Traverse Town. There Aerith may be able to remove the Devil's Wings," Riku explained. "Cloud might know how to since he has dealt with Sephiroth before."

"So I guess you guys think you're so smart eh?" Sora said standing up. "You think that you can just take me to Aerith so that she can modify my memory and I won't remember any of this?"

"No Sora, Aerith is going to help!" Kairi said.

"And I'm supposed to trust you?" Sora growled. "After you lied to my face again and again? AFTER RIKU STOLE YOU FROM ME! YOU EXPECT ME TO TRUST ANY WORD THAT COMES FROM YOURS OR HIS MOUTH!"

As he said this dark energy came roaring towards Riku and Kairi, pushing them back against the wall. He summoned the Keyblade and stabbed his own hand. Crimson blood poured forth, dripping on the floor in small puddles.

"I swear on my own blood that I will escape!" Sora shouted. "And when I do, you'd better hope that Riku's there to protect you Kairi."

"Sora! Sephiroth is controlling you! Don't let him turn you from what you ar-"

"Sephiroth is not controlling me! I'm under no one's control! I'm acting of my own free will!" Sora shouted. "Do you hear? MY OWN FREE WILL!"

Seconds later the floor beneath Sora became electrified, zapping the Keyblade Master and sapping his strength. In a few seconds he was no longer in his Heartless Form but was back to looking like Sora.

"I…will…" Sora said, struggling to speak, "kill…you…Riku. I…swear…I…will."

And with this said he passed out on the floor. The dark energy lifted and Riku and Kairi could move again. Kairi ran to Riku and embraced him, crying for him and fearing for his safety.

"It's okay Kairi. In a few hours he'll be back to his old self again and we'll all head back to the island," Riku said.

"I hope you're right Riku. I hope you're right."


	5. Killing Intent

-1**Disclaimer: Any copyrighted material that appears in this story is the sole property of the Copyright Holder and such as I don't own it or pretend to own it.**

Chapter 4: Killing Intent

The Highwind landed on time, completely intact as far as Cloud could see. He watched the ship descend from the heavens and land on its designated landing space. Cloud heard the roar of the engines dying out and in a few seconds it was silent. He unsheathed his sword and walked towards the airship. Cloud approached the landing pad and stood back as the door hissed with smoke and opened downward slowly. Seconds later Cid appeared from the inside and Cloud sheathed his sword.

"How was your trip?" Cloud asked. "Did Sora escape?"

"No, he's in the back now. Riku and Leon are bringing him up now," Cid explained.

Seconds later Kairi appeared and stepped down the ramp and onto the ground. The air in Traverse Town was as cool as it always was.

"You must be Kairi," Cloud said. "Sora spoke highly of you."

"He did?" Kairi said.

Cloud nodded. "When he wasn't fighting the Heartless he was talking about you. That boy really cares for you. For him to turn to Sephiroth for help, you must've done something really bad to him. Something that could crush his heart."

Kairi looked down, ashamed of how she had lied to her best friend. A dull roaring sound echoed from the inside of the ship and seconds later the cage Sora had been held in appeared. It had been put on wheels in order to transport it to Aerith and Sora was inside, thrashing about like a wild animal. Cloud eyed the blood red wings on his back.

"Devil's Wings, no doubt about it," He said.

Sora cursed and hissed at Cloud. Cloud ignored him and began to help Riku and Leon wheel the cage towards the Second District. Kairi followed behind, watching Sora as he cursed and roared at them. It made her sad to see him like this. And, she realized, it was all her fault. If she had just told him about her and Riku then none of this would be happening. Instead she'd lied to him over and over again, triggering this chain of events.

"Kairi, I know what you're thinking," Cloud said.

Kairi looked up at him.

"It's not your fault," Cloud said not looking ar her.

"And what do you know about it Cloud?" Sora hissed. "This is all her fault! Don't try and soften it up! She's a liar and I'm going to kill her for it."

Kairi looked Sora straight in the eye and could feel the hatred within his heart. She could feel the thoughts he was thinking and the want to destroy her with his bare hands. It frightened her in a way. Just days before he'd loved her and now he hated her with a passion.

They eventually reached the Old Abandoned House where Aerith was staying. They barely managed to fit the cage through the door.

"Hmm, this is a tough one," Aerith said after taking a few x-rays. "The wings are embedded into his heart, far deeper than normal. I'm afraid I can't take these out alone."

"What would you need?" Cloud asked.

"The seven Princesses of Heart," Aerith said. "Their magic, combined with mine, might be strong enough to remove the wings without killing Sora."

"The Princesses?" Sora said. "So that's your plan eh? You're going to gather the seven Princesses to remove the wings? Good luck with that!"

"Sora," Aerith said. "Can you remember who you once were? All the lives you saved? All the worlds that you help?"

Sora stopped and seemed to be thinking. "I don't want to. That's not who I am. That Sora gets nothing in return for all the sweat and blood he put into saving this pathetic galaxy. No I am who I want to be now. Sephiroth has freed me from petty attachments and shown me the lie that my life was."

"No Sora," Aerith said. "Sephiroth is using you. He wants to control you, don't you see?"

"If it helps me get my revenge against Riku," Sora said. He looked over at Riku and smirked to himself. "Then I don't really give a damn."

"Sora I know," Cloud said. "I've been there. Sephiroth isn't anything he says he is. I once admired him as a Hero. But now, I can't forgive him for everything he's done."

"Cloud don't you get it?" Sora said standing up. "Sephiroth did what he did to you because you were weak, spineless. You did have power but you don't have the stomach to use it to achieve your full potential."

"That's Sephiroth talking, not you," Cloud stated.

Sora snickered. "Is that what you really believe?"

Cloud turned his back to Sora. "Yes it is."

And with that he strolled out of the room and out of the house. Sora watched after him until he was gone and then sat back on the ground.

"And as for the rest of you," He said. "You've aided in my capture and imprisonment. You all had better hope that the six other Princesses arrive before I have a chance to escape. Cause if they don't… I'm going to kill you all!"

Leon pressed a few buttons on a console and a strange mist entered the cage. Sora's eyelids drooped and in a few seconds he was asleep.

'Kairi, you and Riku can stay in the hotel tonight," Leon said. "In the morning we're going to bring the Princesses here."


	6. The Search Begins

-1**Disclaimer: Any copyrighted material that appears in this story is the sole property of the Copyright Holder and such as I don't own it or pretend to own it.**

Chapter 5: The Search Begins

Morning arrived just as it did every night in Traverse Town, without the sun. A gigantic alarm sounded throughout the town, reverberating into the ears of every citizen of Traverse Town. This bell served no purpose for Kairi, Riku, Leon and Cid who had been up hours before getting ready to leave. Cid and Leon had gone ahead to prep the airship, leaving Riku to wait for Kairi. After a few minutes Kairi left the hotel room and headed outside. She and Riku headed towards the First District, taking the longer route because Kairi insisted on it.

"Riku," Kairi said suddenly. "Do you think that Sora will be all right?"

Riku looked at her. "What's this all of a sudden? Of course he'll be okay. We'll get the other six princesses and then he'll be back to normal."

Kairi smiled slightly but kept looking at the ground. She got the feeling that everything wasn't going to run as smoothly as Riku and everyone else expected it to. She suddenly had a feeling of dread, like something bad was about to happen. Something that would alter the course of Destiny and affect everyone around her. The feeling disappeared as quickly as it came so Kairi choose to ignore it.

They arrived at the airship within ten minutes. The engines had already roared to life, so Riku and Kairi boarded the ship. The felt the ship begin to rumble as if a violent earthquake had just sprung up. They sat down quickly and strapped themselves down as the ship began to lift into the sky. The ship rocked even more violently as they passed through Traverse Town's upper atmosphere. They shipped stopped shaking once they were away from Traverse Town and soon all they could hear was the subtle roar from the engines outside. Kairi and Riku unbuckled themselves and Riku went up to the cockpit, leaving Kairi to wander around and explore the airship.

The airship was of decent size and probably could hold five hundred or more people easily. It was very mechanical and there were buttons and knobs of all sizes, shapes and colors here and there. There were also many different rooms, each serving a specific purpose, with a few rooms used solely for the transportation of passengers. There were laboratories and rooms filled with multiple computers; all running at the same time, making sure that that the airship remained in orbit.

"Kairi, come up to the cockpit," Cid said over the loud speakers. "There's something you need to know."

Kairi found her way up to the cockpit and found Riku, Leon and Cid waiting for her. They had grim expressions on their faces and Kairi instantly knew that something was amiss.

"What's going on?" Kairi asked.

Riku approached her and put his hands on her shoulders. "Kai, Sora escaped last night. He somehow cut the power to his containment field and now he's loose. Cloud and Yuffie are combing the area but so far they've had no sightings."

"We believe that he may have stowed away on this ship and is trying to reach the Princesses before us," Leon said. "That's why you have to be extra careful. If he kills you then we can't remove the Devil's Wings."

"How did he cut the power to the cage?" Kairi asked. "He shouldn't have been able to."

"We don't know. All we know is that he's escaped," Cid said. "And he'll be coming after you."

Meanwhile, on the fourth moon of Hollow Bastion Sephiroth was waiting for Sora's return. He sat on the throne of his castle, patiently awaiting the return of his most faithful servant.

And seconds later, Sora strolled through the black doors of the throne room and knelt before Sephiroth.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting Master," He said. "I ran into a little…trouble."

"Cloud?" Sephiroth asked.

Sora shook his head. "No, the cage was a bit more advanced than I anticipated. Nevertheless I am here. What is your will, Master?"

"Tell me their plans," Sephiroth ordered.

Sora nodded. "They plan on bringing together all seven of the Princesses of Heart. With their magic they planned to remove the Devil's Wings from my back and turn me back to my old, weak self. They're headed to Wonderland now to secure Alice."

Sephiroth stood up and walked to the window, gazing down on the place that was Hollow Bastion. Sora joined him shortly and looked down upon Hollow Bastion. It was still the same as ever, though it was a little more intact. More people were coming to help rebuild but progress was slow.

"Sora, here is your assignment," Sephiroth said.

He returned to his throne and sat down, beckoning Sora to come. Sora approached and knelt down on one knee.

"Go to Agrabah. If my calculations are correct only those on Traverse Town have heard about this. Go to Agrabah and bring me Jasmine," Sephiroth said. "Without all the Princesses their plan is no good."

Sora nodded, signaling that he understood. "And after I secure Jasmine?"

Sephiroth smirked at him. "Have fun my servant."

Sora grinned and said, "Thank you, my Master."

The airship touched down in Wonderland exactly on schedule. Riku and Kairi disembarked without Leon and Cid. They went down the Rabbit hole and found Alice sitting on the ground reading a book. It was a text they'd taken from Ansem's library on Hollow Bastion dealing with the creation of Heartless.

"Alice?" Kairi said.

Alice looked up and smiled. "It's good to see you Kairi."

"It's good to see you too," Kairi said. "We need your help."

"Help? With what?" Alice asked.

"We'll explain on the way. Please, just trust me," Kairi said.

"All right Kairi," Alice said.

Kairi helped Alice to her feet and the three headed back towards the Airship.

"Who's next?" Kairi asked sitting down next to Alice.

"Jasmine. We're heading to Agrabah."


	7. Agrabah Destroyed!

-1**Disclaimer: Any copyrighted material that appears in this story is the sole property of the Copyright Holder and such as I don't own it or pretend to own it.**

Chapter 6: Agrabah Destroyed

Kairi immediately knew that something was amiss. Smoke rose from the world of Agrabah and was visible from space. They were all silent touched down on the surface not too far from the city. Their fears were confirmed; the entire city had been burned down. As they approached, bodies of those who had lived in Agrabah were skewed about in a random pattern. Blood accompanied the bodies and it appeared as though all the bodies had had their hearts ripped out.

"Who could've done this?" Kairi asked.

"Sora," Riku answered.

Kairi looked up at him. "No, it can't be! He's mad at us! He wouldn't kill innocent people like this! He isn't a-"

But Kairi stopped as she reconsidered what she was about to say. Was Sora a monster? Could he have killed everyone here?

"We should split up," Leon said. "Look for any survivors so that we can confirm what happened."

"Kairi and I will stick together. We'll search around here. Leon should search to the North and Cid should search to the East," Riku suggested.

Everyone agreed and they all split up. Kairi and Riku began to look about the Main Plaza and then proceeded to the burned down castle.

"Find anything?" Leon asked, returning a few minutes later.

"No, nothing," Riku answered.

Cid returned twenty minutes later, but he wasn't alone. He was with Aladdin who looked a little shaken up but looked relatively unhurt. How ever, as he approached, it quickly became clear than both his arms had been broken.

"Aladdin are you all right? Where's Jasmine?" Leon asked.

"Jasmine was taken by some kind of monster," Aladdin explained. "It looked just like Sora but it was Heartless like."

"Tell us what happened," Kairi said.

_Jasmine and I sat on the roof of the Palace. We were talking to each other and unaware of another's presence behind them._

_"You guys are so oblivious," said a familiar voice._

_I turned and saw Sora, standing there, looking as he always had._

_"Sora! Good to see ya!" I said. "We were afraid you wouldn't be coming back."_

_"Oh I'm back all right," Sora said to himself. "How have you guys been?"_

_Jasmine giggled. "Everything's fine between us. In fact…"_

_"Sora, Jasmine and I are getting married next month," I explained. "We'd love for you to be there."_

_'Sounds…like…fun," Sora said._

_"What's the matter Sora?" I asked._

_"It's nothing," Sora answered shaking his head. "I'll definitely be there!"_

_I laughed. "Same old Sora. So, where are Donald and Goofy?"_

_"They returned to Disney Castle a few months back," Sora said. "I haven't heard from them in awhile."_

_Sora was about to say more but there was a sudden explosion as the Marketplace exploded into a fiery inferno. Jasmine and I turned and watched as a huge Heartless monster rose up from the inferno and began to smash apart the town._

_"Sora, let's go!" I said, drawing his sword._

_"Right," Sora said summoning the Keyblade._

_I rushed towards the stairs, with Sora close at my heels. We ran out to the Marketplace and began to attack the monster._

_The monster looked like a smaller version of the Darkside monster Sora had fought. It was just as strong however and wasn't affected by any of my attacks. The story was different for Sora. Thanks to the Keyblade he was able to damage the creature until it was on the ground and nearly defeated._

_"Sora! Finish it off!" I shouted._

_But then something happened. Something I hadn't expected to happen. Sora turned towards me and smirked. His eyes were glowing like a Heartless' and I instantly knew something was wrong._

_"I believe that's enough fun," Sora said. "Heartless, I charge you to get rid of Aladdin."_

_The Heartless stood up and turned its attention to me. I stood up, ready for it to come at me. Sora simply began to walk towards the palace. I knew that he was going after Jasmine so I ran after him. But just as I swung my sword I was punched in the face. Sora had somehow moved behind me and attacked me faster than I could attack him. I was sent into the wreckage and Sora walked over after me._

_"Silly Aladdin," Sora said. "I thought you were stronger than this."_

_I groaned as I sat up. Sora was looking me dead in the eye and I knew that something bad was about to happen._

_"Heartless! I now charge you to forget Aladdin! Fetch the Princess Jasmine and bring her to Master!" Sora shouted._

_The Heartless instantly obeyed and headed off towards the palace to care out its order. Sora meanwhile returned his attention to me. I stood up, towering over him, and waited. I swung high, but Sora was already behind me. He kicked me down to the ground and I feel on my knees. The sword flew from my hand and Sora approached from behind. He grasped both of my arms and put his foot on my back._

_"So, wanna save your Princess eh?" He said._

_He began to pull my arms back and I felt the tendons of my arms breaking._

_"You're not Sora are you?" I asked. "You're a Heartless."_

_Sora smirked and pulled, breaking my arms completely. I screamed in pain and fell to the ground._

_"You're right. I'm not Sora," Sora said. "I'm Anti-Sora."_

"He left me for dead," Aladdin said. "Lucky you guys came along when you did or I'd be a goner."

"Kairi, I need you to try something," Riku asked. "I need you to heal Aladdin."

"But I don't know how to use magic," Kairi answered.

"You're a Princess of Heart. Magic flows from you," Leon explained.

"I'll try," Kairi said finally.

She walked over to Aladdin and placed her palms both his arms. She closed her eyes and began to concentrate. A faint glow emitted from her palms and Aladdin felt the pain subsiding. After a few minutes he could even move his arms again.

"There, you see?" Riku said. "You are a Princess after all."

Kairi looked at her hands. She couldn't deny the power that was flowing from her. Even now she could feel her ability growing, like dammed up water just being released. With this power, could she somehow save Sora?


	8. Defense of Traverse Town

-1**Disclaimer: Any copyrighted material that appears in this story is the sole property of the Copyright Holder and such as I don't own it or pretend to own it.**

Chapter 7: Defense of Traverse Town

Cloud raised his sword and charged through the pack, cutting down them down by the tens as he went. He jumped back as three Neoshadow Heartless attempted to cut him off from behind. Shadow Heartless attempted to attack him from the back side, but a few well placed shuriken from Yuffie saved him.

The Heartless had appeared out of nowhere from a giant attack ship that blocked out the entire sky of Traverse Town in every district. They town was in shambles and various houses and buildings had been burned down. The only tall building still standing was the Gizmo Shop but several houses, including the Hotel Building, still stood. Heartless stalked the streets, preying on anyone they could get their paws on. Blood and disfigured bodies littered the Second District and the Heartless were only starting to attack the Third District.

Cloud was holding the Heartless off at the First District's entrance to the Third District while Yuffie protected the World Entrance and Exit. Aerith was tending to the heart in the Hotel Building which was momentarily safe.

"Cloud! We can't hold them off forever!" Yuffie reminded him, destroying an entire line of Heartless with a well-placed kunai knife.

"I know!" Cloud said swinging his sword wildly, cutting through twenty Heartless. "But I can't get a hold of the Highwind. They must have jammed our communications!"

Cloud charged forward, performing a Sonic Blade, cutting through hundreds of Heartless at once.

Then suddenly, all the Heartless disappeared at once. Cloud raised up his sword in preparation for anything that was to come.

"Always this tense," said a cold, menacing voice, "Cloud?"

Sephiroth stood in the middle of the First District, smirking at Cloud. Next to him was Anti-Sora.

"Like my Heartless army?" Sephiroth asked. "Quite more bloodthirsty than Maleficent's, wouldn't you agree?"

Cloud readied his sword, causing Sephiroth to chuckle a bit. "No Hello Cloud? After all we've been through together?"

Yuffie charged forward at Sephiroth, only to be knocked over by Anti-Sora, who teleported behind her and kicked her back.

"Stay out of the way Yuffie," Anti-Sora said sternly. "This is between Cloud and Master Sephiroth."

Yuffie wanted to fight but knew better than to interfere with this battle. This was between Cloud and Sephiroth, and neither Yuffie nor Sora had any right to interfere.

"Well now, let's get started shall we?" Sephiroth said placing his hand on the hilt of his Masamune.

Cloud rushed forward and swung high, only to get kicked by Sephiroth who had ducked. Cloud jumped back as Sephiroth flew at him, delivering a flurry of blows that would've toppled anyone that wasn't familiar with Sephiroth's fighting style. Cloud swung overhead and locked swords with Sephiroth, attempting to press him away.

"You're tired Cloud," Sephiroth said. "You shouldn't have been fighting so hard."

He grabbed Cloud's collar and through him towards Cid's shop. Cloud skidded but jumped to his feet and leapt up onto the roof. Sephiroth followed and the two began to exchange sword blows.

"Doesn't look like Cloud can win this time," Anti-Sora said.

"Yes he will," Yuffie said.

Yuffie jumped to her feet and tossed a kunai knife at Anti-Sora's head. Anti-Sora dodged and kicked at Yuffie. His kick made contact with Yuffie's face and Yuffie exploded in an explosion of dust.

"Shit, a Shadow Clone," Anti-Sora. "I forgot about her Ninja Arts."

"You're overconfident Sora," Yuffie said.

Her hand reached up from the ground below and seized his leg. She jumped up into the air, pulling Sora along with her, and threw him headfirst into the ground. Anti-Sora hit the ground headfirst and appeared to be unconscious.

"Secret Ninja Art #1: Dragon Flame!" Yuffie shouted.

A burst of flame jetted from her mouth and flew towards Anti-Sora. The flame took the shape of a dragon and swallowed Anti-Sora within its mouth. The flames poured over his body, seemingly incinerating it into nothing.

"Take that!" Yuffie said.

"Is that all you've got?" Anti-Sora asked.

The flame hadn't actually touched him but had been diverted away from his body by the dark energy coursing through his veins. The deflection had occurred millimeters from his skin, creating the illusion of his incineration.

"You're good," Yuffie said.

Anti-Sora smirked. "Look behind you."

Yuffie turned and saw Anti-Sora standing behind her. The next thing she saw was his fist connecting with her jaw, sending her flying.

"What happened?" Yuffie said to herself. "How did he punch that hard? It felt like getting hit by a truck!"

Anti-Sora just stood there, snickering to himself. "You're too easy Yuffie. Come on, you've got to have more than one Ninja Art that might work."

Yuffie thought to herself. "You're right, I do."

She interlaced her fingers, kneeled down on one knee and placed her palms on the ground. The ground began to shake with intense furry, knocking over tables and chairs in the diners that hadn't been knocked over by the Heartless. Anti-Sora just stood there, watching.

"Yuffie's Art! Barrage of a Thousand Kunai!"

Anti-Sora nearly flinched. Kunai were serious ninja weapons. A thousand of them might present a challenge. But with Yuffie's low power it was sure to be relatively harmless.

Seconds later, thousands of Yuffie clones appeared simultaneously. Each was identical to the first and each held three kunai knives.

"Hell!" Anti-Sora said.

"Take this!" All the clones said simultaneously.

All the clones jumped up and released their Kunai Knives in mid-air. Each and Every knife impaled into Anti-Sora, sending the Dark Keyblade Master to the ground. Blood oozed from his wounds and soon he was lying in a puddle of his own blood. His features returned to normal and he was no longer Anti-Sora.

"Damn you Yuffie," Sora spat. "Damn you!"

"Yuffie looked at Sora as all the clones disappeared. What is really over? Did she really just defeat Sora?


	9. The Battle of Traverse Town

-1**Disclaimer: Any copyrighted material that appears in this story is the sole property of the Copyright Holder and such as I don't own it or pretend to own it.**

Chapter 8: The Battle of Traverse Town!

Cloud and Sephiroth faced each other, standing upon opposite ends of the Seconds District. Cloud stood on the Hotel Building while Sephiroth stood across from him on one of the various shop buildings.

"Give up now Cloud," Sephiroth said. "You can't defeat the darkness in your heart. You can only prolong it, weaken it. There is no escaping darkness."

"You're wrong! The darkness inside of me can be defeated! And I will stop you," Cloud said.

Sephiroth sighed and shook his head. "As stubborn as ever Cloud. I guess I will have to show you, how unstoppable I've become."

Cloud and Sephiroth readied themselves and Sephiroth jumped forward, swinging his sword at Cloud's head. Cloud ducked and struck Sephiroth in the chin with his foot. Sephiroth fell back but jumped back and began to attack Cloud ferociously. Cloud blocked ever strike and slammed Sephiroth in the head with his sword. Sephiroth fell off the building and slammed into the ground below. Cloud dove after him and stabbed downward. But Sephiroth rolled to the side and jumped up into the air. Cloud followed and the two began to parry in mid-air.

"You've become stronger Cloud," Sephiroth said.

"I will defeat you!" Cloud shouted.

He pushed forward, sending Sephiroth away. Cloud flew at Sephiroth, slicing Sephiroth across the face and knocking him into the Gizmo Shop. Sephiroth had no time to stand as Cloud rushed at him again and began to slice him all over. Sephiroth retaliated by kicking Cloud in the stomach and slamming the side of his blade into Cloud's face, sending him flying through a window. Sephiroth attacked again, this time more ferociously. Cloud was unable to protect himself as Sephiroth pummeled him into the ground with punches, kicks and sword swings. Sephiroth then stabbed Cloud in the stomach. Cloud groaned and hit the ground.

"See how unstoppable I am?" Sephiroth asked. "Now do you understand?"

Cloud groaned again. "You are more powerful than me. But I still won't let you win!"

Sephiroth looked surprised momentarily but then began to laugh. "And how to plan to stop me? With Sora on my side and the Heartless serving me I have nothing to fear from any of you!"

"You're wrong. Sora won't be on your side for much longer," Cloud said.

Sephiroth began to twist the sword, causing Cloud to cry out momentarily. "Oh please Cloud. I know all about your little 'plan'. You're trying to unite the seven Princesses of Heart and drive away the Devil's Wings from Sora's heart."

Cloud looked shocked. "How did you know?"

"I know because all your plans are the same," Sephiroth said. "I knew that only the seven Princesses of Heart would be able to destroy my hold on Sora's mind and I knew that Aerith would figure it out. I also knew that you would be here while Riku, Kairi, Leon and Cid went to search for the seven Princesses."

"They will find them all," Cloud said. "And then Sora will finish you!"

Sephiroth began to laugh. "We'll see about that."

"Yes we will!" Cloud said.

In one quick motion Cloud yanked the sword from his stomach and kicked Sephiroth in the face, sending him flying into the fountain. Cloud rushed after him and stabbed Sephiroth through the chest. But he didn't stop there. Cloud threw Sephiroth off his blade, into the air, and stabbed him through again. Cloud then swung his sword around and through Sephiroth across the Second District. Sephiroth collided with the bricks of the Gizmo Shop building and slumped over. Cloud walked over and examined Sephiroth. There was no question: he was dead.

"You see Sephiroth?" Cloud asked. "I told you I wouldn't let you win. You're finished!"

Sephiroth remained motionless.

"It's over Sora. Just come quietly," Yuffie demanded. "You can't beat me anymore."

Sora growled at her. The Thousand Kunai attack had done more damage than he'd expected. Yuffie was right, he was almost finished. The kunai had punctured his vein and soon blood wouldn't be able to get to his brain. But Sora had one more trick up his sleeve; a trick that wouldn't work a second time.

"Yuffie, I swear this isn't over!" Sora said.

He began to struggle to his feet and was soon standing up right. The pain was very intense and Sora couldn't last much longer without removing the kunai.

"You're only killing yourself Sora!" Yuffie said. "Stop it or you'll die!"

Sora smirked. "Oh I don't plan on dieing!"

Yuffie noticed a strange power beginning to spring up. The power was huge and monstrous, as if coming from a demon. She looked over at Sora and noticed that the kunai didn't seem to be in as thick as she thought.

"Now witness, my true power!" Sora shouted.

A huge gust of wind blew from Sora's body, sending Yuffie tumbling backwards into a wall. Sora's hair began to turn jet black and his eyes began to glow like a Heartless'. The dark aura appeared around him, only this time it was intense like a wildfire! The aura was no deep purple and fiery red and shot up around Sora's body. He crouched down on all fours and howled to the sky. His claws were now sharper and longer in length and his eyes held any even crazier look than before.

"What the?" Yuffie said to herself.

The kunai burst forth from Demon-Sora's body and shot back at Yuffie. Yuffie cursed and began to dodge the thousand kunai that had turned on her. She only was hit by eight and stumbled back as seven had pierced her legs. But before she could hit the ground Demon-Sora was beneath her and kicked her in the back, sending her flying into the sky. He jumped after her and began to claw her, drawing blood as soon as he touched her. Yuffie tried to punch him but the energy surrounding his body was white hot and left her with severe burns if she even brushed up against him. She couldn't defend herself from Demon-Sora's blows and she was soon on the ground, barely conscious.

Sora landed a few meters away and began to snarl and snap at her. She tired to stand up but didn't have the strength to wiggle her pinkie and the effort proved in vain. Demon-Sora approached her slowly, savoring his victory over her. He stood over her, eyeing his prey as she slipped into unconsciousness. With one quick move he stabbed his claws into her chest and tore out her heart from her body and devoured it, blood dripping down his mouth as he did. Leaving her body on the ground where she lay, Demon-Sora headed to the Second District to aid his Master.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, Cid touched the Airship down near Beast's castle. So far the gang had managed to secure Alice, Snow White, Aurora and Cinderella. Sephiroth had Jasmine so that meant that Belle was the last Princess they could secure before having to find out where Sephiroth was keeping Jasmine.

Belle came along with no resistance and the group blasted into space again. Riku turned on the communicator in an attempt to contact Cloud.

"Cloud, do you read me?" He said through the microphone.

_Yeah, I read you loud and clear._

"We've secured all the Princesses except Jasmine and we're headed back to Traverse Town."

_That's not such a good idea. While you were out an army of berserk Heartless attacked Traverse Town. Sora and Sephiroth were with them._

"Is everyone okay?"

_No. A vast majority of the townsfolk were killed, including Yuffie._

"Yuffie's dead? How?"

_Sora. He's apparently stronger than we thought. Currently he's loose in Traverse Town without a Master._

"Without a Master? What do you mean?"

_Sephiroth's dead, I defeated him. The Heartless have left the city but you shouldn't bring any of the Princesses into the town until we can capture Sora._

"Leon and I will come down to aid in your search," Riku said.

"I'm going too!" Kairi demanded.

Riku looked at her sternly. "Kairi I can't allow that. If Sora finds you and kills you we can't reverse the damage he's done!"

"I feel as though I can help him," Kairi explained. "Please Riku you have to let me come! Sora still in there deep down and I know that I can help you capture him!"

Riku pondered this for a few moments. "Very well, but you must stick close to me, okay?"

Kairi nodded her head.

Within three hours Cid had the ship docked in Traverse Town and the search had begun. So far there hadn't been any additional sightings of Sora, only trails of destruction left in his wake. After searching for the entire night the search was abandoned and the surviving members returned to the Abandoned House.

"This isn't getting us anywhere!" Cid said. "We aren't going to find Sora if he doesn't want to be found!"

"Cid's right," Cloud agreed. "We'll have to draw him out into the open."

"But how?" Riku asked. "Sora isn't stupid; he'll know something is wrong."

Kairi looked up. "I have a plan. Maybe we can use me to lure Sora out."

"Kairi no! It's too dangerous!" Riku said.

"But it won't be! Listen to me!" Kairi demanded. "All I have to do is bring Sora out into the open. Then Aurora, Belle, Snow White, Cinderella and Alice can capture him using white magic. Then we can make him tell us where Jasmine is."

"Kairi, I don't think that we should -"

"It's risky, but it's the only thing we can do," Kairi said. "And, if it will help Sora, I will gladly risk my life!"

"Very well," Cloud said. "We should set this up in the First District, more room to cast the spell."

"Everyone agree on the plan?" Leon asked.

Everyone nodded, except for Riku who still didn't want to risk Kairi's life over Sora's. But then he remembered that Sora was his best friend and he needed his help. So Riku nodded his head in agreement.


	10. Kairi's Plan

-1**Disclaimer: Any copyrighted material that appears in this story is the sole property of the Copyright Holder and such as I don't own it or pretend to own it.**

Chapter 9: Kairi's Plan

The plan was set into motion. The five remaining Princesses set themselves up on the roofs of the buildings that lined the First District's Main Square. Belle and Aurora were stationed on the roof of the bar. Snow White and Alice were stationed above the entrance to the Third District. Cinderella was alone, stationed on top of Cid's Item Shop.

Cloud, Leon and Riku were hiding in waiting in Cid's Shop, waiting for Sora to appear. Kairi was there with them but wouldn't be there for much longer. She was going to walk out into the First District, stand in the middle and call out to Sora. She would distract him long enough for the Princesses to charge their magic, about ten minutes, and then run back to safety. Cloud, Leon and Riku were there for Kairi's safety, just incase Sora discovered what they were trying to do.

Riku and Kairi were talking quietly to each other. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Kairi said. "Riku I just want to help him. He's my friend and he's yours to. I don't see why you don't want me to do this to help him."

Riku looked her in the eyes. "I don't want him to hurt you. I can't lose you Kai."

"You won't, I promise," Kairi said.

They kissed briefly before Kairi walked off towards the door. Riku watched her leave the Item Shop and headed to the window to watch.

Kairi made her way down the stairs and walked towards the World Exit. She stopped in the middle of the square and looked around. The Princesses where well hidden and Sora wouldn't be able to sense their magic until it was already upon him.

"Sora, I want to help you," Kairi thought. "Can't you see that?"

She waited, knowing that Sora knew that she was out. She could feel him slinking about, unseen even in the shadows.

"Sora, I want to talk to you," Kairi said. "Come out! I know you're here!"

She saw the air shimmer before her and knew that Sora was directly in front of her. "Riku isn't here. I only need to talk to you, nothing more."

The air shimmered deeply and Sora appeared again. He was in his Demon form and his power echoed forth towards her. But she knew that he wouldn't hurt her.

**_Kairi! What are you doing here? Where is Riku? Is he hiding about?_**

He voice was deeper, darker and sounded more evil. But Kairi stood her ground, despite her immense fear.

"Riku isn't here Sora," Kairi said. "Sora, I want to help you. Why don't you let me?"

**_Because you're a liar! You're trying to trick me aren't you? This is a trap isn't it?_**

As he said this Kairi felt his energy becoming more intense. "No! This isn't a trap! I'm your friend Sora can't you see?"

**_Stop lying to me! I stopped believing you when you lied to me about Riku and yourself! I should kill your lying ass right here and now!_**

His power flared up all the lights in the First District were snuffed out. Bulbs exploded and windows shattered. Demon-Sora flew towards her with remarkable speed and stopped; his claws three inches from her face. He was surprised to find that Kairi hadn't hesitated in the slightest bit.

**_You're not afraid?_**

"Why should I be? I know you won't really kill me," Kairi said confidently. "You still care, don't you?"

Demon-Sora snarled and backed away from her. Kairi walked towards him and Demon-Sora put his guard up.

"I'm not going to hurt you Sora! I want to help you!" Kairi shouted. "Has Sephiroth blinded you so much that you can't see that I'm still your best friend? Are you really that selfish that you wouldn't allow your friends to help you?"

Demon-Sora seemed to pause and really consider what Kairi was saying. Was he really blind? Was it true that Sephiroth was controlling him and turning him into something he wasn't?

**_Lord Sephiroth has not blinded me! I am doing what I want and it doesn't concern him! He's dead and there's no one to control me! I am going to extract my revenge! And I will kill you!_**

"Sora, stop it!" Kairi said sternly. "Don't talk like that! This isn't you!"

**_I'm sick of your lies Kairi!_**

In an instant Demon-Sora was on her, pinning her to the ground. His claws were raised, posed to rip her heart from her body. And an instant later he was off of her, sent flying across the First District. Riku had come to her rescue and had saved her from becoming a Heartless.

**_Riku? I knew there was something out of place here! No matter, now I will destroy you and Kairi together!_**

Demon-Sora leapt at Riku, who sidestepped out of the way. But Demon-Sora turned back as quick as he had dashed and kicked Riku in the back. Riku kicked off the ground and landed, only to be stricken by Demon-Sora's claws. Demon-Sora plunged his claws into Riku's arm and tossed the boy across the district and into the stairs.

**_Now you're finished!_**

Demon-Sora lunged at Riku, fully capable of destroying him then and there. Then all of a sudden he was unable to move. White Magic was surrounding his body and rendering it useless. He felt his power slipping away and he cried out in agony.

Riku and Kairi stood up, smiling. The Princesses of Heart had managed to use their magic before Sora had killed Riku. Now Sora was captured and his power had been reverted back to his original self. Kairi quickly add her magic to the spell and Sora was effectively trapped within a bubble of White Magic.

Sora looked up at Kairi and Riku, a look of pure bloodlust in his eyes. The magic took full effect, knocking Sora out and sending him to the ground. Cloud, Leon and Cid rushed from the Item Shop, carrying a high-powered cage that would secure Sora until they were able to find Jasmine. Within moments he was locked inside and pulled off to the Hotel Building.

More security had been added to prevent a repeat of Sora's escape. Now anything using dark power wouldn't be able to wiggle a pinkie without being fried. Cameras surveyed Sora constantly and the whole room he was locked in were powered with a backup power source incase something cut the power.

Kairi smiled, knowing that it was her plan that had succeeded in capturing Sora. Riku and everyone else had congratulated her and they were currently celebrating the Defense of Traverse Town. A vast majority of the townsfolk had made it to the Underground Caverns and there were only a reported twenty deaths. Out of those twenty deaths, fifteen were found still alive bring the total deaths to only five people. Sephiroth was dead and Sora was recaptured.

Kairi was hanging out on a balcony watching as the repairs to Traverse Town were starting to begin. Most of the buildings had been destroyed but were replaceable and the whole town could be rebuilt in as little as two months.

"You alright?" Riku asked joining her outside on the balcony.

Kairi nodded. "I'm just a little tired from today. But it worked! Soon we can remove those wings from Sora's back and we'll all head back to the Islands."

Riku smiled. "We'll have to ask Sora about Jasmine, but I'm sure he'll tell us."

Kairi smiled but on the inside she had a very bad feeling. Her feelings came true when seconds later there was the sound of screaming coming from the hotel room. It sounded like Aerith was shouting something and then she suddenly stopped. Fearing something bad was happening, Riku and Kairi rushed back into the hotel room.

"Surprised to see me?"


	11. The Demon Five

-1**Disclaimer: Any copyrighted material that appears in this story is the sole property of the Copyright Holder and such as I don't own it or pretend to own it.**

Chapter 10: The Demon Five

"You can't be alive!" Cloud shouted. "You're dead!"

The person was not Sephiroth but an old friend of Cloud's. A friend whom had been a soldier alongside Cloud and had been his best friend. It was Zack; a First Class Soldier who had been shot to death five years before the conflict with Sephiroth.

"Surprised to see me?" Zack said.

He had his sword straight down in the ground, through Aerith's chest. Aerith was coughing and sputtering, blood frothing from her mouth. Cloud couldn't move from shock. He'd seen Zack died and had buried him along with his Buster Sword. Yet here Zack was, with his Buster Sword, having just killed Aerith whom had been his girlfriend.

"Who is this?" Riku asked.

"It's Zack, my friend," Cloud explained. "He and I were stationed in Midgar when he was killed. That was a long time ago."

Cloud seemed to have gained some of his composure and faced Zack. "Who are you? You obviously aren't Zack because Zack is dead."

Zack began to chuckle. "I am Zack, your previous friend. My Master, Sephiroth, has opened my eyes as well as breathed life back into my body. I serve him loyally now and he has commanded me to bring Sora back to him."

"You're too late! Sephiroth is dead! I defeated him!" Cloud said truthfully.

Zack laughed. "You are blind as Lord Sephiroth has said. You cannot kill him with mere brute strength as you so tried to do. Lord Sephiroth lives and he will destroy you all!"

Everyone gasped: Sephiroth still lived? It was impossible! Cloud had seen him die.

"How did Sephiroth bring you back?" Kairi asked.

Zack turned to face her. "The one named Sora was the cause of it. Sephiroth commanded him to bring back the heart of a strong warrior. Sora devoured Yuffie's Heart, transferring it to Lord Sephiroth. With that, he performed a forbidden black magic and succeeded in bringing me back."

Zack clearly had the Devil's Wings protruding from his back, meaning that he was under the control of Sephiroth.

"Now, tell me where Sora is," Zack said simply. "Or I'll kill the girl."

"You will not touch Kairi!" Riku roared. "Or I'll kill _you_!"

Zack began to chuckle. "Very well. Witness the power Lord Sephiroth has given me, his faithful servant!"

Zack's body began to shake as dark power began to explode from within. Like a huge hurricane the darkness whipped through the room, wounding everyone within the room and throwing Aerith's lifeless body into a wall. His power soared past the Anti form and went straight into the Demon Form. His body turned green and his muscles expanded. Horns protruded from his head and his hair turned silver. His nails sharpened into claws and grew in length. The red/purple aura whipped at them like a wildfire licking at a forest.

**_Come now Riku! Let's see who'll die first; me or Kairi?_**

Demon-Zack rushed forward towards Kairi, but Riku kicked him into the forehead. But Riku jumped back as it was like kicking a solid wall of concrete. Riku unsheathed the Dark Keyblade and rushed forward. The Dark Keyblade smashed into Demon-Zack's forehead, sending him sprawling through the window. Riku and Cloud jumped out the window after him while Leon and Kairi headed down towards the room Sora was being kept at to make sure something bad wasn't happening.

Outside, Riku and Cloud were doing their best to hold off Zack but they weren't doing to well. Demon-Zack was stronger, faster and had more stamina than Riku and Cloud combined. He blocked their strongest attacks with ease and hammered them using his fists and the Buster Sword.

"This isn't good," Cloud said standing up after being thrown into a wall.

Riku was thinking the same thing and immediately went into his Dark-Riku state. Dark energy echoed from his body, causing friction between his energy and Demon-Zack's. But Dark-Riku's energy wasn't nearly as strong as Demon-Zack's but it would help with the difference in their powers.

Dark-Riku and Cloud attacked simultaneously, with Dark-Riku going for Demon-Zack's head and Cloud going for the legs. Demon-Zack jumped over Cloud's Sword and slammed Dark-Riku in the face with his fists, sending him flying. Demon-Zack picked up Cloud and tossed him into Dark-Riku, sending them both through a wall. Demon-Zack jumped after them and began to pummel them with his fists and then slashed them both with the Buster Sword. Dark-Riku was reverted back to Riku and Cloud and Riku were smacked across the back alley and into the gates leading to the Underground Caverns.

Cloud and Riku were both nearly out of energy but Demon-Zack was moving like the fight had just started. Using the dark power had weakened Riku even more than Cloud and Riku wasn't able to stand up at all.

**_Prepare to die Cloud! You and Riku lose! Don't worry Riku; I'll be sure to take good care of Kairi for you!_**

"Zack, stop," said a voice.

A dark aura flashed and someone stepped forth from the vortex. The person was dressed in an Organization XIII cloak with the hood pulled up.  
**_Stay out of this Yuffie! I'm going to kill them._**

Yuffie lowered the hood, proving that it was indeed Yuffie. However, her eyes were now dark orange and her hair was silver.

"Lord Sephiroth's plans have change," Yuffie said. "We must return to the Castle, with Sora, and await further Orders."

Demon-Zack growled, but willingly followed Yuffie. When Yuffie turned, the Devil's Wings were clearly visible, protruding from her back.

**_Has anyone else been turned to our cause?_**

"Yes, Lord Sora is waiting for us in the First District," Yuffie said.

They both stepped into a portal of darkness and disappeared.

Once they were gone, Cloud sat up and tried to assess the damage. His bones weren't broken and he was only bruised in most places. He was able to stand and bent down and picked Riku up. Riku groaned but wasn't able to move at all. Slowly, Cloud carried Riku back to the Hotel.

Meanwhile in the First District, Sora was waiting for his followers. Soon they were all there: Zack and Yuffie were first. Then, Leon and Cid, two of his newer followers, appeared.

"Yuffie, are we ready to depart?" Sora asked.

Yuffie walked forward and dropped down to one knee. "Yes, Lord Sora. We are all here."

"And Kairi?" Sora asked sternly.

Zack stepped forward, holding the unconscious Princess of Heart in his grasp. "She's here sir."

Sora nodded. "Excellent. Then we shall return to the moon of Hollow Bastion to await further orders from Master Sephiroth."

His followers began to walk through dark portals. But Sora stopped Zack.

"Zack, I specifically asked you to bring me something or than Kairi," Sora stated. "Have you retrieved it?"

"Yes Master," Zack said.

Zack placed Kairi on the ground and produced Sora's Keyblade from his jacket. Riku had taken it from him on Destiny Islands.

Sora took the blade and held it up. He then brought it down and knocked Zack across the head.

"You damn fool! Pick Kairi up!" Sora shouted angrily.

"I'm sorry Master," Zack apologized, picking Kairi up gently.

He walked through a dark portal. Sora stayed behind, looking around Traverse Town. For some reason, he thought it was the last time he would see it. But then he reconsidered; he'd be back when Lord Sephiroth sent them to burn it to the ground. With this thought in hand, Sora summoned a dark portal from the ground and stepped through, being transported back to Sephiroth's Castle…


	12. Mystery Revealed

-1**Disclaimer: Any copyrighted material that appears in this story is the sole property of the Copyright Holder and such as I don't own it or pretend to own it.**

Chapter 11: Mystery Revealed

Sora walked past the lit chambers of Sephiroth's Castle and into the Throne Room where he knelt before Sephiroth to give his report on the success of the mission on Traverse Town.

"Master, we have successfully captured Kairi and converted Leon and Cid to our cause," He said. "Riku was badly hurt in the fight with Zack and Aerith is dead. Cloud managed to survive but is weakened and will require a while to heal."

Sephiroth turned to face Sora. "Excellent, my plan is working perfectly. Where is the girl?"

"Locked in one of the chambers on the bottom floor," Sora said. "Leon and Cid are guarding the doorway so there is no chance of her escaping."

"Quite right," Sephiroth said. "Bring her to me."

Sora nodded and walked out of the chamber door, letting it shut behind him. Sephiroth watched his servant go and then turned to sit back on his throne.

"You barely survived Riku," Alice said as she healed him. "A few more blows and this damage would've been permanent. You'll have to be more careful."

Riku tried to laugh a bit but his rips were still sore and it hurt to move them. He sat up slowly. His head was bandaged and his whole chest was wrapped. His legs weren't broken but were very close to it and wouldn't be able to be moved for a few days.

Alice finished within a few moments. "Where you're ready there's someone who wants to see you."

Riku nodded and Alice went to the door. She opened it and in strode a very short person. Though wearing an Organization XIII cloak, his huge ears still protruded from the top.

"Your majesty," Riku greeted.

King Mickey it was indeed. He took of the hood and walked over to Riku's bedside.

"Sorry I wasn't here before but there have been more Heartless attacks on the castle then ever," Mickey said.

Riku began to speak but Mickey interrupted him. "I've already heard the entire story from Cloud. Don't worry; we'll get Kairi and Sora back."

"If we only knew where Sephiroth is hiding at," Riku said.

"That's easy. Sephiroth is hiding in an abandoned castle on the Fourth Moon of Hollow Bastion," Mickey explained. "I know because there are more Heartless surrounding that moon than anywhere else and that's where he'll be. Sora and Kairi will be with him there."

"Then why don't we attack?" Riku asked. "We could charge in before they noticed and take Sora and Kairi back."

King Mickey looked down. "It won't be that easy. Sora's been seduced by the power of the Devil's Wings. Without all the Princesses there's no way to remove the wings and only Aerith knew the incantation for their removal. With Aerith gone, Sora's lost to the darkness forever."

Riku looked down as well. "Then we are lost."

"Not just yet," King Mickey said looking up at him. "There is one more thing we can do. And I'm sure it'll surprise ya."

"What's that?" Riku asked.

"It's really quite simply actually," King Mickey started. "You see, before Sora left for Destiny Islands he encountered Sephiroth. Sephiroth tried to convert Sora to the darkness then and there, but Sora's heart was too strong. So he did the only logical thing. He removed Sora's heart."

"What? His heart has been removed?" Riku said in surprise.

"But there's more. You see, without his heart Sora wasn't able to deal with you and Kairi being in love with each other. With his heart he would've been happy for you but without it he succumbed to Sephiroth's lies. The Devil's Wings wouldn't have affected him if he had a heart because his heart is too strong."

"So you're saying…"

"That if we can get Sora close enough to his own heart, his body may respond and force the Devil's Wings out," Mickey finished.

"So all we need is his heart?" Riku asked.

"Correction," King Mickey said.

He pulled out a jar made entirely of diamond. From within the jar shone a light so bright that Riku couldn't even look in the same direction as it.

"We have his heart," King Mickey said. "All we need is a way to Sora."

Leon and Cid brought Kairi forth to Sephiroth and threw her into the room. She stood up and watched as Leon and Cid locked the door as they closed it behind them. Kairi was now alone, locked in a room with Sephiroth.

"So Kairi, how does it feel to have a friend turned against you?" Sephiroth asked strolling towards her. "Does it hurt that you lied to him and caused all of this?"

Kairi didn't answer so Sephiroth walked back and sat down in his throne. "Tell me Kairi, why is it that you lied to Sora? What would that accomplish if only to turn him to my cause, which I thank you for?"

"First you tell me," Kairi said. "Why do you want Sora?"

Sephiroth chuckled. "Is it really that complicated? All I want is the ultimate weapon and I sought to find a way to have it for myself. When I learned that you needed a pure hearted warrior I knew that I could never have it. But, then I met Sora. And, after removing his heart, I learned that the weapon would stay with him even if he didn't have a heart. So I decided that the only way for me to wield that weapon is to become Sora."

"You mean you're going to…?"

"Yes," Sephiroth answered. "I'm going to transfer my soul into Sora's body. I will then become Sora and wield the ultimate power in the world, the Keyblade!"

"But why choose Sora? Why not use Riku or King Mickey?" Kairi asked.

"Because, their Keyblades were created out of a want, not a need," Sephiroth explained. "King Mickey wanted to find the Keyblade in the Realm of Darkness and he did. Riku wanted a Keyblade because he chooses the middle way, the Road to Dawn, and he got his. Sora, on the other hand, didn't want the Keyblade but needed it. No matter what Riku has ever said, Sora is the true Keyblade Master and Riku would've never received the Keyblade because he would've used it for evil."

"So you're saying that even if Riku hadn't turned to the Darkness Sora still would've gotten the Keyblade?" Kairi asked.

Sephiroth nodded. "The Keyblade chooses it's Master based on who will have the _strongest heart_. Just because Riku's heart was stronger than Sora at the moment doesn't mean that he was the rightful Keyblade Master because Sora's heart was going to get stronger!"

"Why did you wait until now to try and take over Sora's body? Why not when he first received the Keyblade?" Kairi demanded.

"Because it was necessary that I obtain a new body," Sephiroth said. "But that has change. Mother's cells are increasing my strength but destroying my body. Within a few weeks I will cease to exist. However, if I trade bodies with Sora then he is the one who will cease to exist!"

Kairi gasped. So Sora was going to die if they didn't stop Sephiroth?

"Yes Princess, the Keyblade Master is doomed!" Sephiroth said. "Once he advances into Devil-Sora I will be able to finally switch bodies with him. Then I will wield the Keyblade and Sora will die! Then I will plunge this universe into Darkness! An everlasting Darkness that will destroy each and every person in this Universe!"

After he said this Sephiroth waved his hand and the doors slammed open. In strode Sora, who knelt down before Sephiroth.

"Yes Master?" Sora asked.

"Take her away," Sephiroth ordered.

Sora nodded and grabbed Kairi's arm roughly. He pulled her out of the room and closed the door behind them.

"Sora I know you're stronger than this!" Kairi thought. "Please don't fall from Sephiroth's tricks."


	13. Preparations

-1**Disclaimer: Any copyrighted material that appears in this story is the sole property of the Copyright Holder and such as I don't own it or pretend to own it.**

Chapter 12: Preparations

"We've got a problem Master," Sora said. "It seems that King Mickey has touched down on Traverse Town and is aiding Riku and Cloud.

Sephiroth frowned. "The King eh? This may be more complicated than I previously thought. With the King their strength will triple. Mickey is a formidable opponent but I'm sure we can fiend them off."

"Do you believe it wise to try to find off an attack from the King, Cloud, Riku, Goofy and Donald? They'll tear through everyone in this castle with the exception of me and you. Even then, if they all ganged up on us we wouldn't stand a chance. "

Sephiroth seemed to consider this for a moment. Sora's words were true. With the King and Donald and Goofy, all three experiences warriors, plus the power of Cloud and Riku would overwhelm the castle. The only other option would be to accelerate his plans and become Sora sooner than expected.

"Prepare the other Demons," Sephiroth said. "Position the Heartless on the outskirts of the moon. Don't use any Shadow Heartless, only Darkside and Anti-Angels."

Sora bowed, signaling that he understood, and turned to carry out Sephiroth's orders. Once he was gone, Sephiroth looked out the window in the direction of Traverse Town. It was only a bright star in the sky, being thousands of miles away.

_Very well King Mickey. If you want a fight, come to me._

King Mickey's airship, the Royal Mouse, landed on the outskirts of Disney Castle. Chip and Dale began to the refueling process as well as began upgrading the ship's defense for the long journey ahead. As they did this, Riku and Cloud sparred with each other, preparing for the battle against Sora and Sephiroth. King Mickey had the gravitational field increased in the room they were sparring in so that they would be forced to push themselves harder and harder in order to move. The gravity got heavier slowly every few minutes and Riku and Cloud had trouble adjusting to the extreme amount of weight. But they slowly adapted to it and were soon moving at normal speed even at 500x gravity.

"You fellas learn pretty quickly," King Mickey said. "Sora and Sephiroth are going to be tough opponents but I figure we can handle them all."

"So what's the plan? Once we touch down I mean," Riku asked.

King Mickey turned to him. "Well, once we touch down we'll stick together and battle through the waves of Heartless that will no doubt be waiting for us. Once we make it to the First Floor of the castle, we'll split up. Donald, Goofy and I will handle Cid, Leon and the other Demons. You and Cloud will head towards the throne room where Sephiroth will be waiting. Cloud, I want you to handle Sephiroth while Riku takes on Sora."

"But how can I…?"

"Don't doubt yourself Riku," Mickey interrupted. "Sora may be using the power of Darkness but you are still stronger than him."

"But what if he goes into his Devil form? I couldn't handle him as a Demon! How can I possibly defeat him when he's even stronger?" Riku asked.

"Because you've got something Sora doesn't have right now," Mickey explained. "A Heart."

Riku smiled.

After completing Sephiroth's orders, Sora returned to the lower levels and into the chamber where Kairi was being held. She was pretending to sleep so Sora closed the door behind him and locked it.

"Kairi, I know you're not asleep," He said. "Get up."

Kairi opened her eyes reluctantly. "What do you want?"

"I just thought I'd let you know that Riku is coming," Sora said. "And when he does, I will kill him. And once he's finished I'm going to finish you too."

"Riku's coming? When?" Kairi asked frantically.

Sora snickered a bit. "That won't matter. You'll know he's here, you'll know he's dead, when I come again."

Sora laughed evilly and unlocked the door. "Shall I have something sent up for you? Food? Water? Anything at all?"

Kairi shook her head and buried her face in her pillow. Sora locked the door behind him and pressed his ear up against the door. He could hear Kairi sniffling and thought that she was crying because Riku was about to die. But, to his utter surprise, she wasn't crying about Riku.

"What have I done? Why did I hide it from him? Sora, I'm sorry…"

For a moment, Sora felt sad. He realized that what he was doing was wrong. How could he have done this to her? How could he have threatened to kill her and his best friend Riku? For a moment, his thoughts of revenge evaporated and he was the same old Keyblade Master he'd been before. But that was only for a moment, for Sephiroth's dark magic once again got a hold over his mind. He was happy because he was about to kill the man who'd stolen his love. Feeling content, he walked off, smirking at his evil thoughts.

As they boarded the Airship, Riku felt as though this was his final moment. That everything would be decided by this one battle and that everyone would either live, or die. As they all took their positions in the ship, King Mickey only had one thing to say.

"Gentlemen, we're ready."


	14. The Battle Commences! Light vs Dark!

-1**Disclaimer: Any copyrighted material that appears in this story is the sole property of the Copyright Holder and such as I don't own it or pretend to own it.**

Chapter 13: The Battle Commences! Light vs. Dark!

Riku's Way to Dawn Keyblade cut through the first wave of Heartless. In one hand held the Way to Dawn and the other held the Dark Keyblade. King Mickey bounced around, slicing apart Heartless every second. Donald's magic protected the group and Goofy bashed away the Anti-Angel Heartless. Cloud was busy taking down three Darkside.

Cloud dispatched the Darkside Heartless and the group rushed past the Heartless, cutting down those who got in the way as they went. Cloud covered the front leaving King Mickey to cover the rear. Once they made it up to the gates of the castle they burst through the door and split up. Cloud and Riku ran up the stairs towards the top of the castle while King Mickey, Donald and Goofy stayed to fend off the Heartless.

Past many room Cloud and Riku ran, rushing towards the final confrontations with those whom they once respected.

Riku's thought were on Kairi and how he longed to rescue her from Sephiroth's clutches. He wanted to return Sora to the way he was before and defeat Sephiroth together.

Cloud's thoughts were on Sephiroth. Sephiroth was the incarnation of the darkness in Cloud's heart and, by defeating Sephiroth, he hoped to final become pure-hearted.

And so they rushed forth, towards their ultimate victory or their ultimate demise.

King Mickey, Goofy and Donald were doing their best to hold off Cid, Leon and Yuffie. Yuffie's ninja skills had been amplified a thousand fold and Leon was much deadlier with his Gunblade. The Devil's Wings must have been real power amplifying devices. All three were in the final mode, Devil form, and were slowly picking them apart.

Donald cast Thundaga at Yuffie, momentarily catching her off guard, only to be blasted by a huge Firaga from Leon. Cid and King Mickey were sparring, Mickey with his Keyblade and Cid with his spear, and Goofy was trying to aid Donald.

"These guys are tougher than I thought," Mickey said.

He, Goofy and Donald backed up. Once they were all back to back, Yuffie, Cid and Leon began to move in. But as soon as they got closer enough the trio leapt into the air and attacked one of the Devils. The Devil's, caught by surprise, were knocked across the room and skidded into the walls.

"Now Donald!" King Mickey shouted.

King Mickey and Goofy both jumped to Donald and touched their weapons to Donald's staff. A strange yellow glow began to illuminate the room. Yuffie, Leon and Cid were blinded by the glare, just as King Mickey had expected.

"Ready everybody?" Mickey asked.

Donald and Goofy nodded. "Okay then! Trinity Limit! Ultima!"

Energy began to ricochet off the walls, bouncing towards Yuffie, Leon and Cid and destroying weaker stuff in the room. Nothing in the room escaped the blast, not even King Mickey, Donald or Goofy. But the pay off was enormous as the energy incinerated the Devil's Wings right off their bodies, reverting them back to normal and depleting them of their power. Within moments all three had fallen.

"There," King Mickey said. "Now all that's left is to defeat Sephiroth. Then we'll have their hearts back and they'll be back to normal."

Cloud and Riku burst through the doors and into the Throne Room. Sephiroth was waiting for them. He was smirking, as if he had been expecting them.

"So you finally show up at last," Sephiroth said. "I was beginning to think you wouldn't show up, Cloud."

"Sephiroth, you're finished!" Riku said. "Give me back Kairi!"

Sephiroth began to chuckle. "And why would I do that? She's perfectly comfortable with Sora now."

"Damn you," Riku uttered under his breath.

"Sephiroth, surrender. You're outmatched," Cloud said simply.

Sephiroth began to laugh. "Outmatched? I can beat both of you without Sora's help. Oh but that's right, I can't. Because soon Sora and I will be one in the same person and your best friend will be lost forever!"

"Sora would never willingly submit to you, even if he was being brainwashed!" Riku shouted.

Sephiroth unsheathed his sword. "Very well then. I will defeat you so that in death you will know that I shall become Sora."

Riku readied the Dark Keyblade and the Way to Dawn and Cloud readied his sword. Without warning Sephiroth ran forward and sliced horizontally, Cloud parried the blow away and Riku jumped towards Sephiroth. He swung the Dark Keyblade high, which was blocked by Sephiroth, and then swung the Way to Dawn low, tripping him. But Sephiroth was back on his feet and slammed Riku in the head with the side of his sword, sending him flying. Cloud rushed forward and the two began to parry. But Sephiroth was slowly over powering him. Riku charged forward to aid him, only to be knocked back as Sephiroth kicked Cloud into him. Riku and Cloud separated and kicked off the walls, both nailing Sephiroth in the chest with their weapons. Sephiroth, caught by surprise, hit the ground hard and choked on his own blood. He spat in up on he ground and began to breathe heavily.

"Master, I'm here to help!" Sora said rushing into the room.

"No!" Riku said.

Before Sora could get to Sephiroth, Riku jumped over and stabbed Sephiroth in the heart with the Dark Keyblade.

Sephiroth looked momentarily stunned, and then began to laugh evilly. "You fool! Have you forgotten that the Dark Keyblade exists only to create Nobodies? The Dark Keyblade cannot harm! Its only purpose is to separate the Heart from the body! You've done exactly what I wanted you to do!"

"No! Damn you Sephiroth! You tricked me!" Riku said throwing down the Dark Keyblade.

Sephiroth's body evaporated into the air, leaving only his floating heart. It was like a fountain of darkness, Sephiroth's Heart. Darkness poured from it in a never ending stream and it echoed throughout the room.

Sora stared at the heart, then lunged wildly at it and devoured it.

"Damn! That's what Sephiroth wanted," Cloud said. "I wondered why he gave Sora Heartless like qualities instead of Devil like ones!"

"What's going on?" Riku asked.

"Heartless devour Hearts and store them within their own bodies," Cloud said. "By storing his heart in his body, Sora has essential opened the door for Sephiroth to control him!"

Sora began to scream wildly and began to clutch his head. He fell to the ground, writhing in pain, as darkness began to ooze from every pour on his body. His hair began to get longer and turned bright silver. His eyes changed into those of Sephiroth's. Sora's body began to flash as he continued screaming, illuminating the entire room. The ground began to shake as though the entire moon was breaking apart.

"Shit! We've gotta go!" Cloud said. "The moon is going to collapse underneath all that Darkness!"

"But what about Kairi?" Riku asked. "We can't leave her! I won't leave her!"

"Riku!" said a voice.

King Mickey was standing at the door and Kairi was standing beside him. "Let's move!"

Riku nodded and he and Cloud tore out of the room as debris began to fall from the ceiling. They ran out of the castle, but a huge thunderstorm had sprouted up, due to the intense darkness, and lighting struck the ground. Without any hesitation they ran out into the open, dodging the lighting and heading towards their ship. Meanwhile Sora's cries of pain echoed throughout the moon and there was no place they couldn't hear it.

Somehow they made it to the ship and got it out of the atmosphere. They rocketed away and turned the ship back towards the moon to watch the even unfold.

The moon literally cracked in half and Sephiroth's castle fell into the core below. The core wasn't molten but was something that they could all remember.

"Oh my god," Kairi said. "Riku, is that…?"

"Yes it is," Riku said.

He looked back at it just to try and see if it was simply his mind playing tricks on him. But it wasn't. The core was the door. The door to the Heart of Worlds.

The core, was Kingdom Hearts.


	15. Turning the Tables

-1**Disclaimer: Any copyrighted material that appears in this story is the sole property of the Copyright Holder and such as I don't own it or pretend to own it.**

Chapter 14: Turning the Tables

They all stood there, dumbfounded by the sight of Kingdom Hearts. It was totally unbelievable. Why the door to the Heart of All Worlds would be floating amongst the debris of the fourth moon of Hollow Bastion.

"What does this mean?" Riku asked.

"It means that we must go back," King Mickey said. "With the Keyblade, Sephiroth can open the door. Within the door are thousands of hearts. If he adds those Hearts to his power he'll become God-like."

"God-like?" Kairi said. "His power can elevate that much? How many Hearts are in Kingdom Hearts?"

"Thousands," Mickey answered. "Every heart that has been taken by the Heartless."

"Take us back then," Riku agreed. "There's still time! We can still save Sora!"

Donald nodded and blasted them back towards the destroyed moon. Kingdom Hearts got closer as they went, probably reacting to their Hearts. They pulled into the core and landed on a large piece of land suspended in front of Kingdom Hearts. Sephiroth-Sora was standing, his back to them, facing Kingdom Hearts. Riku and Kairi ran out towards him. Cloud was about to join them but Mickey held them back.

"This is their fight Cloud," Mickey said. "They're best friends. If anyone can get to Sora, they can."

Riku and Kairi ran up to Sephiroth-Sora and stopped a few feet away. Sephiroth-Sora began to chuckle at them.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Sephiroth-Sora asked. "A perfect plan coming together? I've always thought so."

Sephiroth-Sora turned to face them. He was smirking just like Sephiroth always did and it made Sora seem even eviler.

"It's a shame that you both won't live long enough to see me as the ruler of the universe," Sephiroth-Sora laughed. "You both are the last obstacle I have before I can safely take over the Universe as the Dark Keyblade Master!"

"Shut up! You can't use Sora for this!" Riku said. "Sephiroth you bastard! Give Sora back!"

Sephiroth-Sora only chuckled, angering Riku even further. Sephiroth-Sora summoned the Keyblade and angled towards Riku's head.

"Very well Riku," Sephiroth-Sora said. "You will be the first victim of the rage of the Keyblade. Then, Kairi will be the second."

Sephiroth-Sora was about to charge but he suddenly clutched his forehead. He dropped down to his knees and began to shout in pain.

"No you fool! You belong to me now!" Sephiroth-Sora shouted.

"No…I…DON'T!" Sephiroth-Sora shouted.

But the second time it had sounded like Sora.

"Sora! You're still there!" Kairi shouted in relief.

"It's futile Sora! You've lost and I've won!" Sephiroth-Sora shouted.

His body began to glow and then there was a great explosion. Dust and rocks were kicked up, forcing Riku and Kairi to cover their eyes.

Gradual the explosion died down until the dust and rocks had settled completely. Riku and Kairi looked up and saw Sephiroth on the ground. Sora was pointing his Keyblade at Sephiroth's head and the Devil's Wings were gone!

"Impossible! How did you do that?" Sephiroth asked, seemingly stunned.

Sora smirked. "With Kairi's help."

He turned his head towards Kairi. "Kairi thanks."

Kairi only smiled.

"What is going on here? Your body was mine! You were lost!" Sephiroth shouted angrily. "There's no way you still exist!"

Sora smiled. "Yes there is. You see, before I ran in and ate your heart, Kairi gave me back mine. King Mickey had entrusted her with the heart and she returned it to me. In fact, I was out of your control shortly after we kidnapped Kairi."

"So, the heart King Mickey showed me…?" Riku asked.

"It was a fake," Sora answered. "Sephiroth had been spying on King Mickey so Mickey allowed Sephiroth to believe that he had the heart but in reality Kairi did!"

"You two…planned this?" Sephiroth asked dumbfounded. "But you wanted revenge on them!"

Sora smiled. "They're my best friends. If they're happy, then so am I!"

Sephiroth cursed and jumped back. Sora angled his Keyblade upwards in a defensive posture.

"Riku, get Kairi out of here!" Sora ordered.

Riku looked at him uncertainly. "But what about you?"

"Just go!" Sora demanded.

Riku nodded and he and Kairi ran back towards King Mickey's ship. Within a few moments the ship was hurtling back towards Traverse Town.

"That was useless," Sephiroth said. "Once I rip your heart from your body I will have you as a vessel. Then I will kill your friends!"

Sora smirked. "No, you've got it wrong. You won't be killing me friends…"

He rushed forward towards Sephiroth. "I'll be killing you!"


	16. Everlasting Friendship

-1Just wanna thank **_Yutakia and Tomoyo _**for giving me some inspiration for the ending as well as letting me borrow some ideas!

**Disclaimer: Any copyrighted material that appears in this story is the sole property of the Copyright Holder and such as I don't own it or pretend to own it.**

Chapter 15: Everlasting Friendship

Sora and Sephiroth's battle rocked the cosmos. With the strength of light and the power of darkness at their command, the two warriors were pushing their physical beings to the limit. Sora was dead even with Sephiroth at the height of his power. But Sephiroth wasn't to be counted out yet as he managed to land some hits on Sora. Kingdom Hearts stood as the only observer to this final showdown between light and darkness.

Sora stepped back to catch his breath, keeping both eyes locked on Sephiroth. The signs of physical fatigue were apparent on both of them but Sora knew that Sephiroth had plenty of strength left. But Sora still had plenty of power left to deal with Sephiroth.

Both shot at each other again, hacking and slashing away. Sora deflected Sephiroth's blows and kicked him in the side. He twirled around and slammed the Keyblade into Sephiroth's face, sending him flying downwards. Sora jumped back and shot forward, slamming headfirst into Sephiroth's stomach. Blood began to leak from Sephiroth's mouth and he knew that Sora was badly injuring him. He spun around and kicked Sora back and jumped after him. He grabbed Sora's leg and twirled him over his head before slamming him hard on the ground. Sora was stunned; the wind knocked completely from him, and began to bleed badly. Sephiroth flew up into the sky and looked down on him.

"Be thankful Sora," Sephiroth said. "I've only had to transform into my complete form once."

Sephiroth's body began to churn with the power of darkness. He called forth all the evil within his body and his hatred transformed him into his final form: Safer Sephiroth.

Safer Sephiroth was like a deformed-angel creation. He wasn't wearing clothes but his lower body had been replaced by a strange white formation. Six white wings protruded from where his legs should have been. His right arm was replaced by a single wing that was red, green and purple.

"That's it isn't it? Cloud told me about this form," Sora said. "He said it's the closest you ever got to fulfill your wish of becoming a god."

"That does not matter any longer," Sephiroth stated. "You will soon be dead and Cloud will be joining you shortly. All your friends shall be joining you as well."

Sora began to chuckle. "You're power hungry and greedy Sephiroth. Those things will not get you the power you seek."

He lifted the Keyblade and pointed it towards Kingdom Hearts. The Keyblade's tip began to light up and began to glow with a green/blue light.

"What are you doing?" Sephiroth asked.

"I'm going to show you, what happens when you miss with my friends!" Sora said. "As Ansem the Wise said, the Heart is the most powerful thing in this world. Kingdom Hearts is the heart of all worlds, so therefore all power will come from it."

The Keyblade's beam shot forth and slammed into the keyhole on Kingdom Heart's surface. There was a clicking sound and the door began to creak open. Then, a bright heavenly light shone forth and impaled Sora, lifting him from the ground. Sora felt his body becoming lighter and lighter as dozens of hearts filled him with their holy light.

"Darkness may sprout from the heart," Sora began. "But the Heart will not end in darkness. There is a light, deep down that never goes out!"

Sora's body shone with a heavenly aura. Angelic wings had sprouted from his back and his clothes had turned pure white.

"Sephiroth, it's over!" Sora shouted. "Behold the power of True Light!"

He pointed the Keyblade straight at Sephiroth's heart. The tip began to glow with a deep green energy. The energy expanded until it was bigger than Kingdom Hearts itself.

"Sephiroth! I will make sure that no one ever uses the power of Kingdom Hearts again!" Sora shouted.

The beam burst forth and engulfed Sephiroth.

"This isn't happening! No! You can't be stronger than me!" Sephiroth shouted as the blast separated his mind, body and soul.

The blast turned on Sora and engulfed him as well, taking his mind, body and soul and ripping them apart. Both his and Sephiroth's were thrown into Kingdom Hearts and the great door closed shut.

Three months later, Riku and Kairi were hanging out together on the beach. They cuddled in each other's arms and watched the sun as it dipped below the horizon. The waves lapped at the beach, occasionally reaching up to stroke their feet gently.

"I can't believe that it's been three months since we last saw Sora," Kairi said. "I miss him."

"I miss him too, but King Mickey says that he's gone," Riku explained. "Kingdom Hearts, the moon of Hollow Bastion, Sora and Sephiroth all disappeared. He doesn't know what happened to it."

Riku and Kairi stood up and began to walk home.

"Leaving so soon?" said a voice.

Riku and Kairi turned around and saw Sora, standing there on the beach. He had his trademarked grin on his face and was surrounded by a heavenly light. Kairi ran to him and hugged him tight. Riku smiled to him and walked over to join him and Kairi.

"You guys all right?" Sora asked.

Kairi broke off from the embrace and smiled at him. "We're just glad you're okay Sora."

Sora smiled. "I used the power of Kingdom Hearts to defeat Sephiroth. I tossed his essence into Kingdom Hearts and used my essences as an anchor to keep the door closed and locked forever. No one gets out and no one gets in."

"But you're here now," Kairi started.

But Sora shook his head. "I'm using my last bit of strength to send an astral projection to you guys. I couldn't disappear forever without saying good-bye."

"Forever?" Riku asked.

Sora nodded. "Sephiroth's essence faded a few hours ago and soon mine will too. I'll fade from existence and be lost in the endless void that is Kingdom Hearts."

Kairi began to cry but Sora reached up and wiped away her tears. He then took Riku's and Kairi's hands in his.

"We'll always be friends," Sora said. "Don't cry for me. I want you two to try and forget about me."

He joined their hands together and smiled at each other them. "Be happy, together."

Sora's image began to fade a little, signaling that he was running out of strength. He let go, allowing Riku and Kairi to continue holding hands. He hugged Kairi and then hugged Riku.

Sora began to fade even more until Kairi and Riku could see through him. As Sora faded away forever, he had only one thing to say…

_Riku, Kairi. Thank you…_

**It's over! _Twilight of Light _is finally over! I want to thank all of you who stuck with this story to the very end and to all my reviewers who reviewed for this story. **

**Another thank you to **Yutakia and Tomoyo **for giving me the inspiration that led to this tearful ending.**

**Until we meet again,**

**RA Pointless**


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